Zone & Regional Meetings
The Society of Physics Students (SPS) chapters are divided into 18 geographic zones, and many zones hold meetings each year. SPS offers support at a level of $500 for SPS chapters hosting a zone meeting. Learn more on the “Host a Zone Meeting” page. SPS also administers the SPS Meeting Enhancement Award, the purpose of which is to connect Nobel Prize winners and students from Minority Serving Institutions (MSI’s).
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Dr. Sidney Altman: The discovery of
Ribonuclease and the properties of Ribonucleic acid (RNA)
Hampton University's Honors College joined with the Department of
Chemistry to host the distinguished molecular biologist and 1989 Nobel Prize recipient, Dr.
Sidney Altman.
by the Hampton University SPS Chapter |
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Dr. Eric Cornell: Superman and the Superfluid
Through resilience and focus, Dr. Cornell is a Nobel Prize awarded physicist who ironically conducted his Nobel research in the area that plagued him the most, thermodynamics.
by Ronald Stubblefield and De’Andre Cherry, SPS Reporters, Moorehouse College
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Dr. Eric Cornell: Defying Stereotypes and Inspiring Students
Dr. Eric Cornell defies stereotypes. His life as a student was just like ours, and yet he has accomplished one of the greatest scientific feats of our lifetime.
by A. Palchak, K. Peturis and X. McWaters, SPS Reporters, Univ. Southern Mississippi |
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Dr. Douglas Osheroff: NASA, Nobel Prize Winners, and the “Normalization of Deviancy”
Nobel laureate Dr. Douglas D. Osheroff was hosted by Howard University’ physics department, via a program sponsored by the American Institute of Physics and funded by the Research Corporation.
by Phoebe White, Northern Virginia Community College |
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Dr Anthony J. Leggett: Why can't Time run backwards?
Nobel Laureate Anthony J. Leggett visited Delaware State University on November 4, 2010, for a full day of physics. During his visit, Dr. Leggett delivered two well-attended lectures .
by Vanessa Nesbit, Delaware State University |
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Dr. Wolfgang Ketterle: Dedication to One’s Craft & Pride in One’s Work
What one learns when physics students and Nobel Laureates Meet: An inspiring keynote speech by
Dr. Wolfgang Ketterle.
by Darryl Lewis, SPS Reporter, North Carolina Agricultural & Technical State University |
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The Society of Physics Students (SPS) chapters are divided into 18 geographic zones, and many zones hold meetings each year. SPS offers support at a level of $500 for SPS chapters hosting a zone meeting. Learn more on the “Host a Zone Meeting” page.
Zone 3: Kutztown University, April 2010
Guest speakers on computer programming, organic and inorganic IZO transistors, and research on the Photometry of interacting binary stars
Zone 4: Towson University, April 2010
A full scale general physics battleship game, student research presentations, and guest speaker Max Mutchler of the Space Telescope Science Institute.
Zone 5: Elon University, Elon, NC, April 2010
Host Chapter Report: Dr. Wolfgang Ketterle speaks "Super fluidity near absolute zero temperatures"
Zone 5: Elon University, Elon, NC, April 2010
SPS Reporter Darryl Lewis:
Graduate school and career opportunity panels, poster sessions, and a lecture on nuclear energy
Zone 5: Davidson College, Davidson, NC, October 2010
The Zone 5 SPS Fall Meeting was held jointly with the 15th Annual Fall Meeting of the North Carolina Section of the American Association
of Physics Teachers, October 22-23, at
Davidson College.
Zone 6: Florida International University, March 2010
This was the first time FIU had hosted a zone meeting but it will be one to remember.
Zone 7: Grove City College, Grove City, PA, February 2010
A weekend filled with fascinating talks, insightful discussions, great memories and the rapt attention of over a hundred college students from five different states.
Zones 7, 8 & 9: Eastern Michigan University, Ypsilanti, MI, October 2010
Exchanging organizational experiences, providing a platform for active physicists to reach out to the student community, and instilling camaraderie and communication among future physicists.
Zone 8: Indiana University – Bloomington, April 2010
Physics Jeopardy, student research presentations, and a tour of the Indiana University Cyclotron Facility
Zones 9 & 11: University of Wisconsin, River Falls, October 2010
Combining our Zone Meeting with a joint meeting of the Wisconsin and Minnesota sections of the American Association of Physics Teachers added a lot of excitement and opportunities!
Zone 10: Southern Mississippi, March 2010
Celebrating the 50th anniversary of the laser with "LaserFest at Southern Miss"
Zone 11: Coe College, April 2010
Einstein's life and ethics, physics & research demos, and judging the Iowa Science Olympiad
Zone 13: University of Texas, San Antonio, October 2010
The SPS Zone 13 met in conjunction with the Fall 2010 Texas Section of the American Physical Society Meeting hosted at the University of Texas at San Antonio.
Zone 16: Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University, March 2010
Physics volleyball, a night at the observatory, student research, equivalent bifurcation theory, and equipping local communities with physics
Zone 17: Pacific University, Forest Grove, OR, April 2010
Roundtable discussions and presentations on chapter strategies, "Hidden Physicist," and a tour of TriQuint Semiconductor
Zone 18: University of California at Davis, April 2010
A Rubens Tube & the speed of sound, spaghetti towers, Prof. Raymond Chia, and atom smashers |
National Meetings
The Society of Physics Students (SPS) offers travel support at a level of $200 for SPS chapters or individual students reporting on a national physics meeting for SPS, and similar levels of support for individuals presenting research at SPS-sponsored sessions at national physics meetings. Learn more about: SPS Reporter Awards | SPS Travel Awards
SPS works with other societies to develop undergraduate opportunities at national physics meetings, such as poster sessions, receptions, career workshops, and outreach events.
 The Newport Corporation, which makes lasers and optical research supplies, also provides support for the next generation of physics researchers, funding events like the student poster session/reception at the AAS (American Astronomical Society) 217th Meeting, Seattle, WA, Jan. 9-13, 2011, and the American Association of Physics Teachers Winter Meeting in Jacksonville, FL, February 8-12, 2011.
Keep an eye out for other SPS-sponsored student events at the next physics meeting you attend.
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Lasers and Social Media are Hot in Portland
By Tracy Schwab, SPS Communications Coordinator
Unseasonably cool weather in Portland, OR, was a welcome relief from soaring summer temperatures on the East Coast for SPS national office staff and SPS Interns, Shane Allison, Linda Henneberg, Jasdeep Maggo, and Foha Rafiq. So what was hot in Portland? |
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Intriguing Sessions at AAPT
By SPS intern Shane Allison, University of Wyoming
From the plenary sessions to book give-a-ways to networking with fellow teachers, this conference had something for everyone. |
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A Glimpse into the World of Physics Teachers
By SPS intern Foha Rafiq, University of Denver
Being part of the SPS internship program came with many added bonuses. As I am one of the “outreach interns” I was able to attend the 2010 Summer Meeting of AAPT in Portland, Oregon. |
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Does That Involve Acoustics? Joint 159th ASA Meeting and Noise-Con 2010
By John Boyle, Brigham Young University
Acoustics is HUGE and endlessly interesting. Musicians, surgeons, micro-biologists, marine biologists, geologists, linguists, engineers, federal crash investigators, shipbuilders, audiologists, you name it, they were at this conference. |
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Particle Physics, Climate Change, and Dinner with Vera Rubin
By Leigha Dickens, University of North Carolina at Asheville
Energy and climate science, women and minorities in physics, and dinner with Vera Rubin. |
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Where Ideas Meet
By Katie Foote, Providence College
Attending sessions, networking with faculty and visiting with graduate students, and interviewing the 2010 Excellence in Physics Education Awardee Ronald Thornton of Tufts University. |
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Highlights from Washington
By Erin Lease, Kutztown University
Meeting students from all over the world, learning about efferts to revitalize STEM education, and learning how to advocate for science locally, regionally, and nationally |
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One Neutrino’s Trip to Washington D.C.
By David Neto, Rhode Island College
An entire hotel filled with physicists, sessions on the Larege Hadron Collider (LHC), dark energy, and kind words of advice to an aspiring physicist. |
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Welcoming 2010 with the 215th AAS Meeting
By Christopher Mullins, University of North Texas
Brushing elbows with some of the brightest minds in physics, and undergraduate research experiences far too vast to be adequately summarized on a mounted piece of cardboard. |
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Taking it all in: The 215th AAS Meeting
By Joshua Fuchs, Rhodes College
With around 3500 attendees, the 215th meeting of the American Astronomical Society (AAS) was the largest astronomy meeting in history. |
International Meetings
The Society of Physics Students (SPS) offers travel support for two students to represent SPS and the United States at the International Conference of Physics Students (ICPS), an annual conference of the International Association of Physics Students (IAPS). This is facilitated through the SPS Outstanding Student Award for Undergraduate Research.
Winners receive a $500 honorarium and a $500 award for their SPS Chapter, as well as expenses for transportation, room, board, and registration for the ICPS. In addition, winners are invited to give their research presentation at an SPS Research Session at a national meeting.
In addition, SPS Reporter Awards are occaisonally granted to SPS members reporting from other international meetings.
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The 25th International Conference of Physics Students
by Anya Burkart, Creighton University
As
a
Physics
and
German
major,
I
found
the
prospect
of
a
Physics
conference
in
Austria
a
perfect
fit
for
my
passions.
I
especially
appreciated
the
opportunity
to
unite
with
fellow
nerds
from
across
the
globe.
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2010 ICPS—Graz, Austria
by Daniel Glass, Elon University
The
2010
International
Conference
of
Physics
Students
was
everything
except
your
typical
physics
conference.
Even
though
there
were
over
400
students
from
about
50
countries,
everyone
had
just
one
reason
to
meet
in
Graz,
Austria;
their
love
for
physics. |
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